Warning! This article contains SPOILERS forThe Acolyteepisode 8.
Summary
The finale ofThe Acolyteheld some shocking reveals, but it also left some questions, like the true identity of the Stranger, unanswered. The Stranger has been one ofThe Acolyte’s most mysterious characters since he was first introduced. Nothing about him, from his true name to how he fit intothe Sith Rule of Two, was very clear, and the Stranger seemed to want to keep it that way. The Stranger even used his need to keep his identity secret as his reason for massacring seven Jedi on Khofar inThe Acolyteepisode 5.
The Stranger’s real identity was clearly very important to him, and he felt it was worth killing to protect his secret. There’s almost certainly more to the Stranger’s true identity thanThe Acolytehas so far revealed, and there may now be a few hints as to who he really was.The ending ofThe Acolyteincluded quite a few hints about whom the Stranger may be, and they seem to indicate that he’s the key to introducing even more Sith Lords intothe High Republic era.
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The Stranger Is Vernestra Rwoh’s Former Apprentice
The Acolytemade a few hints that Vernestra Rwoh and the Stranger had a history with one another, and not just in episode 8. InThe Acolyteepisode 6, the Stranger told Osha Aniseya that he used to be a Jedi, but someone had “thrown him away,” and he got quiet when Osha suggested it was his Jedi Master. On top of that,Vern also seemed to be struggling with attachmentsat the time, given she named her ship after her former Padawan, Imri Cantaros. The biggest hintThe Acolyteoffered to connect the Stranger to Vern, however, came in the finale.
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When Vernestra arrived on Brendok, she sensed the Stranger’s presence through the Force because he didn’t have his cortosis helmet on. Vern also indicated that she knew who the Stranger was, as she exclaimed “you” when she sensed him.Vern then outright told Mae that the Stranger was her former pupil before he turned to evil. That in itself is a clue to the Stranger’s identity, but it may be an even bigger clue than it seems. The only Padawan Vernestra has had so far inStar Warscanon was Imri Cantaros, and there’s a small chance he became the Stranger.
Vernestra Rwoh
A prodigy among the Jedi of the High Republic, Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh was one of the youngest Jedi ever to achieve the rank of Knight. She served at a time of crisis for the Republic, battling on the front lines against the Nihil, the Nameless, and the Drengir, and proving herself wise beyond her years. Vern will appear in live-action in The Acolyte, set over a hundred years after she became a Master, at the tail end of the High Republic Era.
Imri and Vernestra had a very difficult relationship, mostly because of the situation they found themselves in. Their time together began and ended in trouble, as Imri was stranded in the Nihil Occlusion Zone and eventually relinquished his lightsaber to pursue humanitarian work.While the Stranger may be an older Imri Cantaros, it doesn’t seem likely, as Imri and Vern left on relatively good terms, and Imri had already overcome a temptation from the dark side in the past. There is still a small chance, though, asThe Acolytesignificantly changed Vern’s characterization, and it may have done the same for Imri.
The Stranger’s Injuries Presumably ARE From Vern’s Lightwhip
InThe Acolyteepisode 6, the Stranger took his shirt off and waded into the waters of the unknown planet he took Osha to. When he did that, he also revealed a large, sprawling scar that went the full length of his back. The shape of the scar was too curved and uneven to have come from a normal lightsaber blade, and it looked quite like a lightsaber whip may have caused it.The shape of the Stranger’s scar, coupled with the facts that he had a history with Vernestra Rwoh, and she famously used a lightwhip, seem to indicate that Vern gave the Stranger his scar.
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Since she likely gave him the scar, the Stranger seems to have had a significant falling out with Vern at some point. It’s not clear yet exactly what that falling out could have been, but there may be another clue from a differentStar Warsstory. InStar Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo drifted apart after Luke saw a great darkness in his nephew and tried to stop it before it took root.If Vernestra sensed a similar darkness in her Padawan, she may have gone even further than Luke and actually attacked the Stranger.
The Stranger Is Not The Only Active Sith At This Time
Vernestra and the Stranger’s connection wasn’t the only hint about his identity, though. A surprise cameo inThe Acolyteepisode 8 seems to have revealed that Darth Plagueis, the Sith Master of Sheev Palpatine, was on the unknown planet at the same time as Osha and the Stranger. It’s not clear exactly how the Stranger and Darth Plagueis are connected, but his appearance changes everything.If the two knew each other and were collaborating, then the Stranger may have been Darth Plagueis' apprentice before Palpatine. Plagueis only had one apprentice - Palpatine - inStar WarsLegends, but that doesn’t precludeThe Acolytefrom introducing a new one.
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The Stranger Could Also Be A Rival To Darth Plagueis
There’s also a chance that Plagueis and the Stranger weren’t working together, but were in fact rivals. Darth Plagueis' Sith Master, a Bith named Darth Tenebrous, famously had a second apprentice who broke the Rule of Two. The Stranger may be that apprentice - Darth Venamis - but Venamis was also a Bith, and the Stranger is clearly human.Still,The Acolytemay have added to Plagueis' story and made the Stranger another apprentice of Darth Tenebrous. That would mean that Plagueis and the Stranger will almost certainly clash in the future, and based on the prequel trilogy, the Stranger won’t win.
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The Stranger May Not Be A True Sith At All
Yet another possibility Plagueis introduces is that the Stranger is not a true Sith at all, but rather a simple pretender.The line of Sith that descended from Darth Bane and practiced the Rule of Two may not be the only dark side users who claim to come from the Sith Empire of the Old Republic. If the Stranger was one such pretender to the Sith lineage, that would also make him a target of Darth Plagueis. The whole point of the Rule of Two was so that the Sith could grow in power and remain secret, only revealing themselves when the time was right.
The Stranger, however, hasn’t exactly gone unnoticed inThe Acolyte. His exploits on Khofar and in his search for Mae and Osha threatened to alert the Jedi that the Sith had returned.If the Jedi knew to be on the lookout for the Sith, it would ruin the Sith’s thousand-year plan, so Tenebrous may have sent Plagueis to kill the Stranger before he could fully reveal them.
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No matter who the Stranger really is, he’s clearly deeply involved in the dark side’s power struggle. The simple fact that Darth Plagueis made an appearance inThe Acolyteepisode 8 proves that. His appearance also indicates that Osha is now just as wrapped up in the dark side as the Stranger is, which could prove to be a very dangerous position to be in. The Stranger will almost certainly be a very important part ofThe Acolyteseason 2 - if it happens - and his real identity could be the key to exploring the Sith in extreme detail.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
